Rocks and Golden Lion Intervene

One

News of the Five Elders' complete defeat spread throughout the Mary Geoise forecourt, and the noisy battlefield fell silent for a moment.

Beneath the crumbling walls of Room of Authority, all the powerful figures temporarily halted their actions.

Whitebeard stood atop the ruins of the side gate, his massive Naginata slamming heavily into the rubble. Marco had hastily bandaged the wound on his shoulder; the white bandage tightly bound the flesh, and the bleeding had stopped, but the inside of the bandage was still soaked with dark red bloodstains, a shocking sight.

Kaido leaned against the broken stone pillar, the dragon scales on his body peeling away layer by layer, revealing the hideous wounds that had just scabbed over. He had exhausted most of his brute strength, but his eyes were still fierce and his fighting spirit had not diminished in the slightest.

Roger sat on the edge of the stone steps, his left hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, his right arm hanging limply at his sides, a deep wound between his thumb and forefinger slowly closing and healing.

Bullet's entire right arm was wrapped in thick bandages; the long, intense battle had left him with aches and pains all over his body. The Homies Army beside Big Mom had long since huddled together; the once mighty army of souls was now reduced to a mere dozen or so broken bodies barely standing, their light dim and faint.

Everyone is resting and waiting for the next step.

Kaido straightened up abruptly, hoisting his Spiked Club back onto his shoulder, his gaze fixed on the deepest part of Mary Geoise: "The five old guys are all taken care of, but there's still a trump card hidden inside the Holy Land. There's definitely someone else behind that door."

Whitebeard didn't respond, but his figure slowly turned towards the heart of Mary Geoise. He raised his hand and pulled the Naginata from the crack in the stone, the blade lightly dragging across the marble floor tiles of the corridor, leaving a thin, straight, deep mark.

"Since there are no obstacles ahead, let's push forward to the very end."

After the group finished preparing, they proceeded side by side into the depths of the Holy Land.

The walls on both sides of the corridor were covered with dense cracks and charred marks from flames. Wisps of smoke were still rising from many corners. The ground was littered with rubble and broken steel supports. Half-broken stone pillars blocked the middle of the passage, leaving only bare bases rooted in the soil, shattering the once wide road.

The rooms along the way were all empty, with not a single guard in sight. Tables, chairs, and cabinets were overturned, and confidential documents were scattered everywhere. Some were trampled into pulp by the crowd, while others fell into the flames and slowly burned to Huijin with a crackling sound.

The entire Mary Geoise had long since been reduced to ruins.

The group walked briskly and soon reached the end of the second corridor.

Just then, the earth suddenly trembled.

The tremors originated outside the walls, initially just a slight shaking that subsided after two or three seconds. Only a few breaths later, a second wave of tremors struck, far more violently than the first. Immediately afterwards, dull thuds echoed from the outer walls into the corridor, as if a giant beast were frantically ramming against the walls of the Holy Land.

Whitebeard immediately stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowed.

"Someone is hitting the outer wall outside."

Kaido strode to the window and looked out.

The towering, pristine white walls of Mary Geoise were tilting inwards, a large area of which had caved in, cracks spreading like a spiderweb, and rubble and dust tumbling down. A massive black pirate ship was retreating slightly, its sharp ram covered in white plaster, clearly the culprit that had just crashed into the walls.

"Rocks." Kaido gritted his teeth, his tone grave, "This guy finally stopped standing by and took action himself."

The large black ship was steadily moored outside the gap in the wall, its size far exceeding that of the Holy Knights' warships. Large bricks were still wedged into the wall at the bow, and the ship was firmly stuck between the cracks in the broken wall, like a sharp knife firmly wedged into the wall, unable to move forward or backward.

Rocks leaped and landed steadily on the pile of rubble at the gap.

His tall, imposing figure stood motionless, his long black overcoat billowing wildly in the gale. His hands hung naturally at his sides, holding no weapon, yet a suffocating sense of oppression emanated from him. He didn't look back at his pirate ship, but instead strode straight into Mary Geoise, his steps calm and steady, each one firm and measured.

The next moment, a golden light streaked across the sky.

Golden Lion's flying ship hovered above the outer highlands. He rose from the ship, his feet barely touching the ground, and landed lightly on the top of the wall. The terrifying power of his Press-Press Fruit instantly spread out, enveloping the entire highlands in Gravity Field. A large group of CP0 elites who were preparing to provide support from the flanks were instantly pinned to the rubble, unable to move their limbs, and could only watch helplessly as the enemy advanced unimpeded.

Two

Rocks walked along the corridor and came face to face with Whitebeard and his crew.

Whitebeard held his Naginata horizontally, the blade blocking in front of him, fully alert.

"You've been watching from outside for so long, what are you trying to do by barging in now?"

Rocks continued walking, speaking calmly, "Come in and see if you're done fighting."

"Once the fight is over, I'll go in with you. If the battle is still ongoing, you can continue fighting."

Whitebeard's eyes darkened. "Throughout the entire war, you just waited outside the walls to reap the benefits?"

"I want to see you defeat the Five Elders yourselves." Rocks paused briefly as he walked to Whitebeard's side, his gaze sweeping over the wounded figures of everyone present. "Now that the Five Elders have all been defeated, I naturally have to come in and see for myself."

Without waiting for the Whitebeard's reply, he continued walking straight into the depths of the corridor.

Whitebeard remained silent for a moment, but ultimately did not intervene.

Kaido watched Rocks' retreating figure and murmured in surprise, "He just walked in like that without any hesitation?"

Roger slowly rose from the stone steps, his fingertips never leaving the hilt of his sword, his gaze piercing. "He endured the entire battle, waiting for this moment. The Five Elders are merely gatekeepers; Rocks' true target is the person hidden behind the gate— Imu."

The group followed closely behind Rocks as they moved forward.

At the end of the long corridor, the massive stone gate at the heart of the Mary Geoise Holy Land was slowly opening to both sides with a deep rumble.

Rocks led the way, followed closely by Whitebeard, Kaido, Roger, Bullet, and Charlotte Linlin. Golden Lion remained suspended in mid-air, slowly landing at the back of the group, his feet never touching the ground, ready to use Gravity to launch a surprise attack at any moment.

The heavy stone door swung open completely to both sides, revealing the deepest secret chamber.

In the center of the room stood a figure silently.

Imu was dressed in a pure white robe, his face completely obscured by the shadows cast overhead, his features blurred, and no one could make out his appearance. He was not particularly tall, standing quietly in the center of the room, his body relaxed, his shoulders not tense at all, his weight evenly distributed on his feet, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, looking quite unremarkable.

However, the entire secret room was filled with an indescribable sense of oppression.

This was neither the intimidating Conqueror's Haki nor the murderous aura of Armament Haki; it did not belong to any known power system on the sea, yet it made one's heart tighten and even one's breathing become involuntarily labored.

Rocks stopped inside the gate, the first time he had paused since entering Mary Geoise.

"You are the king who rules the entire World Government?"

Imu remained silent throughout.

An invisible pressure continued to spread, gradually filling the entire secret room, making people feel suffocated in their chests.

Without flinching, Rocks suddenly raised his right arm, gathering all his strength, and threw a straight punch at Imu!

The fist was coated with an incredibly thick layer of Armament Haki, its hardening intensity far exceeding that of any other powerful opponent they had ever seen. This punch was clean and decisive, without any fancy moves or pre-charge; it was a simple, direct, powerful attack.

Just as the fist was about to hit its target, an invisible barrier suddenly appeared a foot away.

It is neither Space Cutting nor the power of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit; it is an unknown power that no one has ever seen before.

Rocks's powerful punch was stuck in mid-air, unable to move forward even an inch.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and his tone was icy. "You can only withstand my first punch, do you think you can withstand my continuous onslaught?"

Imu remained silent, but the terrifying sense of oppression spread outwards once more, filling every corner of the room.

Whitebeard gripped his Naginata tightly and said in a deep voice, "Rocks, do you intend to fight alone, or will we all join forces?"

Rocks slowly withdrew his fist, his fighting spirit blazing. "If you want to help, then come at me all at once."

Three

Whitebeard took a large step forward, gripping the giant Naginata horizontally with both hands, the blade trembling slightly.

Kaido gripped his Iron Club tightly, dragon scales creeping up his skin once more, his blood surging. Roger's hand gripped the hilt of his sword firmly, ready to draw it at any moment. Bullet clenched his fists, his muscles tense, poised to strike. Behind Charlotte Linlin, the remaining Homies regrouped, their soul flames reigniting.

The Golden Lion slowly landed, its feet finally touching the floor tiles.

Count me in.

The six powerful figures standing atop the sea all fixed their gazes on Imu in the center of the room.

The auras of the six top-tier experts intertwined and overlapped, compressing the air as if it were solid. The hard marble floor tiles could not withstand the pressure and began to crack from the center point, with cracks spreading in all directions until they reached the four walls before slowly stopping.

A fierce wind swirled and howled in the sealed room, where the glint of blades, Haki, spiritual power, and Gravity fields intertwined, making the entire power chamber teeter on the verge of collapse.

After a long silence, a cold, hoarse voice finally emerged slowly from the shadows.

"Since you insist on starting a war, then let's fight it out."

A major battle is imminent.

(End of Chapter 116)